ASU’s green waste goes full circle

Arizona State University continues to create a more sustainable and resilient future — and not just during Earth Month.

The university has implemented a closed-loop process for composting green waste on all campuses.

Video of Composting at ASU: Recycling organic material on a large scale

Video by Ken Fagan/ASU Now

Composting is the act of recycling organic material, plant matter and food scraps. The materials become compost, a finished product that can be used as a soil amendment. Compost provides several benefits:

Acts as a fertilizer for your landscape.

Helps your soil become a water filter, reducing runoff and improving water quality.

Keeps plant diseases and pests away.

Reduces how much, and how often, you need to water.

ASU Grounds Services, the ASU Zero Waste department and the city of Phoenix participate in the university’s composting process, which supports ASU’s circular resource system sustainability goal.

A circular resource system aims to achieve zero waste by diverting materials from landfills for productive use.

“ASU’s green waste composting program is a great example of a circular economy,” said Josh Ellner, ASU Zero Waste department manager. “Partnering with the city of Phoenix allows ASU to achieve benchmarks regarding our landfill diversion goals by having a large enough local operation to process a large amount of material and also have enough finished product to sell back to ASU Grounds.”

ASU’s green waste — tree trimmings and grass clippings from all campuses­ — is collected and hauled to a city of Phoenix composting facility where it spends six to eight weeks in the composting process. ASU purchases the finished product to use on flowerbeds, lawns and fields throughout the university.

Video of Learning how to compost at the ASU Polytechnic community garden

Video by Ken Fagan/ASU Now

“The compost carries a certain amount of nutrient value on its own, but it also helps to retain water and nutrients,” said Michael Meyer, ASU Grounds Services manager. “The soil in the Valley of the Sun tends to be poor in organic material, and the compost counters that to some degree.”

ASU sent an average of 41.6 tons a month of green and wood waste to be composted in 2018. In November, ASU purchased back 190 yards, about 120,000 pounds, of finished compost that was placed on the Tempe Sun Devil Fitness Complex fields, annual flowerbeds and other campus lawns.

According to Meyer, the composting program supports ASU’s overarching goal to achieve 90% landfill diversion by 2025.

“We do get some satisfaction from knowing that we are keeping material out of the landfill where it would contribute to the production of harmful greenhouse gases. For us, it is truly a win-win situation.”

Top photo: A student sifts a pile of compost at the Polytechnic campus. Photo by Ken Fagan/ASU Now

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Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for spring 2019 commencement.Spanish Professor Cynthia Tompkins knew there was something special about Rachel Hill when Hill brought her newborn son, just 4 days old, to class so that she could present the summary of her final paper.Hill earned an A+ in that class, Latin American Film, and has gone on to receive several other honors, such as ...

Mother of 3, Spanish lit grad named Dean’s Medal recipient

Spanish Professor Cynthia Tompkins knew there was something special about Rachel Hill when Hill brought her newborn son, just 4 days old, to class so that she could present the summary of her final paper. Rachel Hill, shown here with her family, was recently named a Dean's Medalist for the School of International Letters and Cultures. Photo courtesy of Rachel HillDownload Full Image

“Rachel is a born leader who is adamant about social justice,” Tompkins wrote in her nomination. “She has the stamina and the talent to do well in the academic career of her choice.”

After that class, Hill consistently brought her infant son with her to campus, something she regards as her best memory of her time at ASU and something she said she was lucky to be able to do. Hill is a nontraditional student and mother of three children: a 7-year-old, a 4-year-old, and that baby Sun Devil who accompanied her to class, who is now 2.

Hill said receiving the Dean’s Medal “felt pretty surreal.”

“I have my school life, but I’m also a mom and a wife,” Hill said. “My kids are not impressed by my academic achievements yet, so it was validating to know that the support system I have and everyone who has helped me along the way saw my success, and that was represented in getting the medal.”

Hill is enrolled in the 4+1 program for Spanish, focusing on literature and culture. She will graduate in May with her bachelor’s degree and complete her master’s degree next spring. After that she hopes to do local or international outreach with underserved populations. A dream would be to move to Argentina and raise her children there to give them a unique experience, but big plans like that will depend on her husband, who is currently attending community college and plans to transfer to ASU.

Hill’s sister recently graduated from ASU, and her mother and grandfather taught here, so the foundation is in place for a Sun Devil family. She said it’s “highly possible” her own kids could attend ASU someday, though that’s many years in the future still.

“I’m looking forward to finishing my master’s degree and I’m so grateful to have been a student at ASU,” Hill said. “ASU has been in my life even before I was born, so it was just really special to finish my education there.”